Resource professor Al Gedicks lays out
the facts:
So far, the industry has not been able to find a single example where
they have mined without polluting water, including the recently closed
(1997) Flambeau copper sulfide mine in Ladysmith. This mine is the
subject of a Clean Water Act lawsuit for discharging pollutants into the
Flambeau River far in excess of applicable water quality standards.
Wisconsin would do well to recognize that the existing level of
protection for our precious water, wildlife and community health was
made possible by an engaged citizen and tribal base that has insisted on
high quality laws and their implementation.
Leaving decisions about
mining regulation in the hands of mining industry experts, as [Gov. Scott] Walker has
proposed, can only lead to the contamination and cleanup costs that the
[National Wildlife Federation] study warns us may occur if we allow our laws to be weakened.
Don't
expect Wisconsin citizens and tribes to allow this to happen without a
fight.
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